Entitlement Reform

Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security—the three largest federal programs—are threatening to bankrupt our country. By 2050, spending on these programs will consume the entirety of federal tax revenue, leaving no money for any other program, including national defense. With the retirement of baby boomers and an aging population, the need for action is more urgent than ever. We’re fighting to reform these programs, get spending under control and replace mandatory conscription with voluntary choice.

Hold Congress Accountable

About FreedomConnector

Find activists, groups, and events right in your own neighborhood. Join FreedomConnector to get involved and learn more about key issues threatening our economic freedom. Whether you’re looking for like-minded people, trying to boost your existing group’s impact, or simply trying to stay up on current events, FreedomConnector is the place to start. See what’s happening in your state today!

Dear Senator,
On behalf of the more than 300,000 members of Citizens for a Sound Economy (CSE), I urge you to vote NO on the Conference Report on H.R. 1, the “Medicare Prescription Drug Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003.”
In 2020, Medicare’s spiraling costs are projected to eat up 20 percent of all income tax revenue. The current fee-for-service Medicare program is unsustainable, and this proposal will accelerate the Medicare crisis.

Dear Senator,
On behalf of the more than 300,000 members of Citizens for a Sound Economy (CSE), I urge you to vote NO on the Conference Report on H.R. 1, the “Medicare Prescription Drug Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003.”
In 2020, Medicare’s spiraling costs are projected to eat up 20 percent of all income tax revenue. The current fee-for-service Medicare program is unsustainable, and this proposal will accelerate the Medicare crisis.

WASHINGTON, Nov 21 (Reuters) - With some crucial conservatives still vowing to defy Republican leaders and vote 'no', the U.S. House of Representatives opened debate on Friday on sweeping legislation to overhaul the Medicare health program for the elderly.
The legislation, a priority of President George W. Bush as he prepares to seek re-election next year, would add a prescription drug benefit to Medicare and introduce far-reaching reforms to restrain costs and expand the role of private managed-care plans in caring for the elderly.

No conservative can be happy about giving at least $400 billion in additional taxpayer funding to an entitlement program. Many conservatives would have been willing to go along with the expansion of Medicare if they thought that the program would simultaneously be reformed in a major way. Most conservatives outside Congress don't believe that the current Medicare bill offers nearly enough reform. Accordingly, it is being opposed by the Heritage Foundation, the Cato Institute, Citizens for a Sound Economy, the Wall Street Journal, National Review, and other conservative organizations. A few brave Republican congressmen, notably Reps. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania and Mike Pence of Indiana, have also declared their opposition.

Dear Congress:
The undersigned groups are strongly opposed to the final Medicare prescription drug legislation and urge all Members to vote "no."
While there are many bad elements of this bill, among the most reckless are:
- Adding to Medicare's Unfunded Liabilities. Medicare is already projected to go bankrupt. Nonetheless, this bill will unconscionably add hundreds of billions of dollars in unfunded liabilities to the program.

When Republicans unveiled the "Contract with America" in 1994. they claimed it would be "the end of government that is too big, too intrusive and too easy with the public's money." Hmm . . . the $400 billion Medicare "reform" that Congress is working on is long on spending, big on government and short on reform.
The Medicare trustees' own estimate for the value of unfunded liabilities, without the new prescription drug benefit, is around $38.3 trillion. That money will have to be paid through either massive tax increases or sharp spending cuts in the future.

July 16, 2003
The Honorable Dennis Hastert
Speaker of the House of Representatives
The Honorable Bill Frist
Senate Majority Leader
The United States Capitol
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Speaker Hastert and Majority Leader Frist: